Ecco Ripley is a master-

planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

in the

City of Ipswich The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It will be Queensland's biggest housing development and Australia's largest-ever master planned community. The site lies in the northern foothills of the Flinders Peak Group in the Bundamba Creek water catchment about five kilometres south of the centre of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

. It includes development of the existing suburbs of Deebing Heights and rural Ripley. The Green Building Council of Australia rated the Ecco Ripley development with a Green Star, a first in Queensland.

Planning

In 2010, it was announced that Ripley Valley, Yarrabilba and Greater Flagstone near Jimboomba would be developed as greenfield investments in response to the region's population growth which was expected to reach 4.4 million by 2031. The site had been earmarked for development within the South East Queensland Regional Plan which was released on 28 July 2009. The

Ipswich City Council The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...

worked for a number of years to generate a Ripley Valley Structure Plan. The

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have mun ...

is planned to accommodate 120,000 people in 50,000 homes in the rapidly developing western growth corridor of

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. ...

. Ecco Ripley is the third master planned community in the western corridor, after Forest Lake and Springfield. Major transport connections include the existing

Centenary Highway The M5 (Centenary Motorway) is a motorway in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of ...

and an expected extension to the Springfield railway line. The urban core of Ecco Ripley, called the Town Centre, will consist of numerous civic and commercial buildings in a central hub of 194 hectares and is being developed by Japanese home building company

Sekisui House is one of Japan's largest homebuilders. It was founded on August 1, 1960 and is headquartered in Osaka. In 2009, Sekisui House expanded into Australia and Russia before expanding into China and the United States the following year. The company ...

. Included in their plans is the creation of 4,000 homes for more than 10,000 people over 15 years. Sekisui became involved with the project after it purchased land in the Ripley Valley from

Babcock & Brown Babcock & Brown LP was a global investment and advisory firm, established in 1977, based in Sydney, Australia, that went into liquidation in 2009. Babcock & Brown Securities LLC was an active investment banking firm focused on equipment and pro ...

, a Sydney-based global investment and advisory firm which went into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

in 2009.

Development

Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

work was begun by Ipswich mayor

Paul Pisasale Paul Pisasale is a former mayor of the City of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia, and convicted extortionist. Pisasale was mayor of Ipswich from 2004 to 2017, making him one of Queensland's longest-serving mayors, and was last elected in 2016 wi ...

and Sekisui House in late October 2012. The first residents are expected to occupy homes in 2014 with full development of the project by 2057. Stage 1 of the project involves upgrades to Ripley Road, 46 residential lots, parks and a sales and information centre. Infrastructure planning such as sewage and mains water supply has been coordinated by the Urban Land Development Authority, a state government agency and the Ipswich City Council. The council allocated $19 million to spending on road, water and sewerage infrastructure in the 2013/14 financial year.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.eccoripley.com.au/ Populated places established in 2012 2012 establishments in Australia Planned residential developments Ipswich, Queensland